A Change in Scenery
by OberonSnape
Summary: A Harry gets rescued from the Dursley's story. Will contain a Snape as a guardian, adult themes including self-harm and abuse, and childish antics.


A/N: Thanks for stopping by! It's been quite some time since I've written fanfiction, but I certainly never stopped reading it. I hope I can live up to your standards.

**DISCLAIMER: This story contains adult themes. I haven't fully decided where it is going, but it does contain abuse of a minor, and will contain self-harm in later chapters. If this makes you uncomfortable, I advise you to not read this fic. Turns out, I also don't own Harry Potter and all other related characters.**

Chapter One: An Eventful Breakfast

The sun was shining down on the beautiful neighborhood that was Privet Drive. The lawns were kept short, the gardens were well manicured, and the kids were laughing at a nearby playground. It was a perfect little community filled with perfect families. All except for one house. Number four.

Petunia Dursley, her husband Vernon, and their rotund son, Dudley, were as normal as could be. Vernon worked for a drill company called Grunnings where he made a decent living, and Petunia tended house and took care of her son. Unfortunately for the Dursleys, another resided in their house, but he was kept out of the way of the perfect neighbors and their manicured lawns.

Harry Potter, a small boy of ten, was lying in his room, staring up at the beams not more than two feet above his head. He lived in a cupboard under the staircase in the Dursley's house, and had, for all of his miserable nine years there. Harry often daydreamed about somebody coming to rescue him. A few years ago in grade school, Harry learned that the way his relatives treated him wasn't normal.

_'But,'_ Harry rationalized in his head, _'they took me in when they didn't want to. I could have gone to an orphanage. My parents were irresponsible as it was, driving drunk. It's lucky they didn't kill anyone else. I'm just a freak and don't even deserve what I'm given. I have shelter, my own room, they give me clothes when Dudley gets to be too big for them, and they even spare some of their food so I can eat. It's not that bad.'_

He lay, bruised and beaten, hoping that the Dursleys would leave him alone for the day. While he was grateful that they took him in, Harry still didn't like the pain, or the longing that they would love him like they did Dudley. He wanted to be left alone, but today, that was not to be the case.

"BOY!" Yelled his aunt, banging on the door. "Get out here this instant and cook breakfast for your uncle and my Diddykins." Harry sighed as he heard the latches to the cupboard unlock, and got off his cot, and entered the kitchen to get breakfast underway. Just as Harry was getting the eggs and bacon onto the table, his whale of a cousin came lumbering into the kitchen, knocking into the smaller boy.

"Watch it, Potty. Don't want to drop anything like yesterday. Wouldn't want Dad to take the belt to ya again, do ya?"

Harry winced as he remembered yesterday's misfortunes.

_Flashback_

_He was walking breakfast to the table when he tripped and dropped the two plates he had been holding, shattering them in a mess of scrambled eggs on the floor. He had hoped he could clean up the mess and start over, but he had no such luck. Uncle Vernon came pounding down the stairs, and saw Harry fumbling with the broken plates and food mess. _

_"You good for nothing FREAK! Ruining my family's food and china! You've already ruined our lives, and now you're ruining our possessions! Can't even get a good goddamn breakfast without you screwing it up!"_

_"I-I'm sorry Uncle," Harry said. "It was an accident. I'll clean it up and make you new food."_

_"Damn right you will, boy! And then I'll teach you a lesson. But first-" he walked over to where Harry was kneeling over the mess he had made, and grabbed him by the neck. He shoved the boy's face down into the mess, rubbing it in the scrambled eggs and bits of plate, like one would to a dog who's done wrong. "Now cook me my goddamn breakfast. And be quick about it, boy!"_

_Harry new he would not get a chance to clean up first, and quickly set to work. After dishing breakfast out to his family, he stood in the corner to watch them eat, as he was only ever allowed what was left over. They didn't leave him any. _

_"You won't be getting meals for the rest of the day, boy," his uncle spat at him. "Maybe if you behave for the rest of the day you can get something tomorrow. Now, against the fridge."_

_With trepidation, Harry leaned against the fridge, facing it. _

_"Trousers down and shirt off, boy."_

_Face red, knowing Dudley was watching, and with tears in his eyes, Harry removed his pants and shirt, and braced himself against the refrigerator. _

_A swish cut through the air as Uncle Vernon's belt slapped into Harry's backside, as Dudley giggled with glee. Harry knew better than go cry out, he knew it would only make it worse. Another swish and Harry braced himself, and he was hit once more. The belt hit on his upper thighs, and he couldn't help but gasp. _

_"You're in for it now, Boy. You know better than to offend me with your pathetic mewling," Vernon growled as he turned the belt around. _

_This time there was a clank along with the swish, while the metal of the buckle hit Harry's back, cutting it open. This time he didn't make any noise. His punishment continued on in this vein for about five more minutes before Vernon got bored. By this point, the only thing holding Harry up was the refrigerator he braced himself against earlier. Blood was trickling down his back, and he only hoped it didn't get on the floor. The last thing Harry needed was to make another mess. He was thrown into his cupboard for the rest of the day. _

_End Flashback_

"No Dudley. Just leave me alone," Harry replied to his obese cousin. His shirt was stuck to his back with dried blood, and he just knew how much it was going to hurt to take it off when he got his weekly shower in a few days.

"Well piss off, Potty. Go stand in your corner like the dog you are. I don't even know why Mum and Dad kept you. I'd rather have a golden retriever. At least they're useful, and everybody loves them. Maybe I can convince Mum to drop you off at the dog shelter!" With that, Dudley giggled and sat down to his breakfast while both his parents came into the room.

"Boy get to your corner!" Aunt Petunia snapped. "You know better than to be near the table when there's food present."

Harry walked off to "his" corner of the kitchen for meals, and stood with his back to the wall, hands clasped behind his back, with his gaze aimed slightly at the ceiling. He had to be nearby while the Dursleys ate, just in case they needed anything. Occasionally, Dudley would drop his silverware on the floor and demand Harry to pick it up and replace it with new ones.

_'Of course he just wants me to have more dishes to do. Not that he's ever done anything, the fat slob'_ Harry thought as he bent over for the third time to pick up something Dudley had dropped.

He fixed another cup of tea for his Aunt Petunia, goy Uncle Vernon more coffee, and was finally back in his corner, wondering what asinine chores he would have to do today. Just as Aunt Petunia began to give him his list of chores, that would surely take him until after nightfall, an owl flew through the window, and envelope attached to its leg.

Petunia paled, and grabbed the letter. After reading it, she handed it to Vernon with a shaking hand. As his eyes scanned down the letter, his face turned from red to purple, the vein in his forehead throbbing.

"Cupboard for a week, Boy, get used to spending time in there."

"But I didn't even do anything, Uncle," Harry exclaimed, not wanting to be locked up for such a long time, presumably without meals.

"You were born a freak. That's more than enough wrongdoing!" Vernon grabbed Harry by the arm, and pulled him over to the cupboard under the stairs. Harry was thrown inside, as he heard a pop, and his arm went numb. Frustrated and in pain, Harry lay back on his cot and tried to go to sleep.

**A/N: Let me know what you think! I haven't written fanfiction in about ten years.**


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